About the role
We are seeking a Principal Emergency Planning Officer to play a pivotal role in strengthening the Council’s preparedness, response and recovery arrangements for emergencies and disruptive events. This is a senior, high‑impact role within the Emergency Management & Response Service, reporting directly to the Deputy Head of Resilience and leading a small team of specialist officers.
In this role, you will act as one of the Council’s senior subject matter experts for emergency planning and business continuity. You will translate strategic resilience ambitions into practical, robust operational delivery—ensuring the Council is well prepared to protect residents, communities and critical services when it matters most.
What you’ll be doing
- Lead the development, maintenance and testing of the Council’s corporate emergency plans and business continuity arrangements, ensuring compliance with the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and recognised best practice.
- Provide senior operational leadership before, during and after emergencies, supporting incident command structures and coordinating effective response and recovery activity.
- Manage, mentor and develop a team of Emergency Planning and Business Continuity Officers, setting clear priorities and maintaining high professional standards.
- Design and deliver training programmes and multi‑agency exercises, embedding preparedness and continuous improvement across the organisation.
- Work closely with senior leaders, elected members, emergency services, resilience partners and the voluntary sector to strengthen borough‑wide resilience.
- Champion learning from incidents, exercises and national inquiries, ensuring lessons learned lead to real and lasting improvement.
Why this role matters
This role sits at the heart of the Council’s ambition to put residents first. You will ensure resilience arrangements are inclusive, accessible and responsive to the needs of vulnerable residents, while helping services continue to operate during periods of disruption. Your expertise will shape how the organisation anticipates risk, manages crises and recovers stronger.
Who this role is for
- Thrives in a complex, multi‑agency environment
- Is confident advising senior leaders and influencing across organisational boundaries
- Combines strong leadership skills with deep technical knowledge of emergency management and business continuity
- Remains calm, decisive and people‑focused under pressure
You will be part of a supportive leadership team and will have real scope to influence strategy, culture and operational practice across the Council.
Benefits
- Flexible Working Hours – We recognise the importance of flexibility in managing your work and personal life.
- 36‑Hour Week – Enjoy a standard 36‑hour workweek for all full‑time staff.
- Generous Holiday Entitlement – increases with length of service (for non‑casual roles).
- Hillingdon Sports & Leisure – Stay active and healthy with discounts at council‑owned leisure centres and swimming pools across the borough.
- Salary Sacrifice Schemes – option to join schemes for cycle purchase, electric vehicle leasing and additional voluntary pension contributions (subject to scheme rules).
- Cycle to Work – Eco‑friendly commuting with our cycle purchase scheme. We also provide bicycle parking, lockers, and showers at the Civic Centre.
- Local Government Pension Scheme – access to Local Government Pension Scheme and membership to the Credit Union.
- Vivup Benefits – Access a variety of offers and discounts through our Vivup Benefits.
- Mental Health Support and Counselling Services – Our mental health first aiders are trained to identify, understand, and help employees experiencing mental health issues. Access free 24‑hour confidential advice and counselling as well as a legal advice service for you and your immediate family.
- Travel Support – Make your daily commute easier with our season ticket loans and free car parking.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement
At the London Borough of Hillingdon, we are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. This commitment means that all employees, job applicants and others who work for us will be treated fairly. The aim is for our workforce to be representative of all sections of society and Hillingdon residents so we welcome applicants from a wide variety of backgrounds. We strive to ensure that our recruitment process is free from discrimination and bias, and we are dedicated to providing reasonable adjustments to applicants with disabilities.
Join us in building a workplace where everyone feels respected, able to give their best and be themselves at work, whilst contributing meaningfully to our organisation's success.
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